


Blinding Light

by Megane



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Blindness, Board Games, Cynicism, F/M, Humour, Innocence, Personal Hygiene, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Threats of Violence, social ineptitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 21:31:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3952489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Komugi is, in all aspects, a useless human being. She has no real life skills, but she's a world renowned Gungi player. Meruem has stepped into her domain and is strangely transfixed on this supposedly worthless girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blinding Light

**Author's Note:**

> Old work. My first HxH fic.

The pieces clacked on the board in the silence. The two players announced their moves, even though only one of them really needed a moment to think. Komugi curled and uncurled her fingers in her dress. The silence dragged on for too long. Off to the right side, she could hear the flipping of pages. Well, at least she wasn’t alone.

            “Supreme Leader,” she began. “Are you still—”

            _“Silence.”_ Meruem’s voice cut through the deafening silence. Komugi jumped. “I’m thinking.”

She nodded her head, making soft noises of agreement. The thick-browed girl hummed in anticipation but jolted a few seconds afterward, realising she was making noise. Meruem flicked his sharp gaze up to her, but her eyes were closed again. Even still, he knew that she couldn’t see him. That didn’t quell the fires of his temporary annoyance. He picked up a piece and examined it. He knew where he want to move. 

            “3-2-2. Captain.”

He felt confident in that move. As he drew his hand away, he saw Komugi open her eyes again. She looked so serious, intense, _haunting_ even. And the image would have been complete if it wasn’t for one thing. His gaze lowered slightly on her face. He kept it there even as she announced her next move. 

            “3-1-1. Fortress.”

Meruem slid his forearm up against his knee. His thumb pressed against his bottom lip as he examined the board. His eyes moved along one of the diagonals, and... He eased his posture, grabbed his pieces, and dropped them on the board. Komugi’s intensity melted when the last piece dropped. She smiled brightly and gathered the pieces. She laughed softly. 

            “Loser has to go this time, okay?” 

Meruem watched as she read the piece through her fingertips. She leaned forward slightly, found the corresponding place, and set it down gently. The King Ant observed as the girl went. When the pieces were finally in place and after he made his first move, he spoke to her.

            “I have a question, girl.”

            “Yes, sir!”

            “1-2-1. Pawn.” He paused for a moment, setting down his piece. He drew his hand back, sure of his starting move. “Why don’t you wipe your nose?” 

Komugi perked up, caught off guard by the question. Meruem lowered his head, his strong expression darkening slightly. 

            “Play your piece.”

            Komugi jumped. “S-s-s-sorry!” She lifted up a piece and slid at piece forward. “4-2-1. Pawn.”

            Meruem cupped his knee, bringing his gaze up from the board to the girl. “Well?”

            “Eh?”

            “I won’t repeat myself.”

            “Oh. Ah.” She shifted herself and closed her eyes, thinking. “I-I never thought about it. W-well, that’s not true! I’ve been prone to getting the sniffles since I was a kid. And before I mastered Gungi, we couldn’t get the help we needed to see what was wrong. A-and getting cleaners for my nose became expensive.” She lifted her head, facing where the Supreme Leader supposedly was across from her. “They have the ones you can take and clean, but the only places that sold them were either out of stock or out of our budget.” She laughed a bit and sniffled. The sound was stuffy and, admittedly, a little sickening. “So by the time I could afford it, I just didn’t think about it anymore.”

Meruem stared at her and then called to his guard.

            “Pouf.”

            “Sir?” Pouf set the book down onto his lap, lifting himself up slowly.

            “Clean her nose.”

            The butterfly bristled, staring wide-eyed at his King. He _barely_ hid the irritation (and _disgust_!!) that blemished his features. “K-King?”

            Meruem side-eyed the blond. “... Get medicine for her nose.”

            Pouf relaxed just a bit, but he was still agitated. “Yes... my King.”

The blond glanced down to the girl, glaring daggers at her as he exited. Komugi, oblivious to the quiet wrath she wrought, shifted in her place. She was embarrassed (and a bit uncomfortable) with someone being commanded on her behalf. Meruem focused on her. 

            “You seem irritable. Will that not suffice?” he asked coolly.

Komugi started to speak but then fell quiet briefly after. She tried again a moment after. She could feel the King Ant’s gaze boring into her. She was, mostly, unaffected.

            “I-it’s just. I didn’t want you or him(!) to go through any trouble for me. I-I didn’t mean to be an inconvenience.” 

Meruem honestly didn’t know what to say at first. He straightened up his posture, though. The hand on his knee lowered his leg. He scrutinized the girl, as though looking for any bad intent. Of course, perhaps frustratingly, he could find none. The Ant King closed his eyes and chuckled, smirking a bit. 

            “Most humans would die for an opportunity to have others ordered to do things for their own sake.  To have anyone act for their own whims—someone waiting hand and foot, moving at their beck and call.” He tipped his head, the smirk a combination of maliciousness and genuine interest. “But you continue to prove, time and time again, that you are different.”

            “I can still do things myself!” Komugi blurted out. She drew up a hand. It never made it to her mouth; it hovered in the air just under her chin. She swallowed thickly. “I may not be able to do them very well or even good at all, but I can always try. So until then—no, even if I’m unable to do anything on my own—I don’t want others running around for me... d-doing menial tasks...” 

Meruem fell into a silence again. It was something he found himself doing a lot around her. He was quiet from thought, from frustration, from... well, a multitude of emotions and states of mind he wasn’t able to achieve with his bodyguards. He let out one last huff of laughter. His twisted expression dissipated. His neutral expression returned. He reached out a hand to grab a piece. 

            “It’s my turn, isn’t it?”

            Komugi’s smile returned, slowly. She nodded. “Un!” 

Meruem placed down his piece and called out his move. Even in her lightless eyes, he could see calm in them. The girl was truly in her element. She wasn’t meant to give orders or bark at subordinates. Her place was here, at a Gungi table, across from her opponent. That’s where she shone brightest, most powerful.

Komugi called out her final move, and Meruem was stunned at the brevity of their game. He placed a hand on his face and almost smiled. His lips quirked with something twisted, but he shook his head. It wisped away. 

            “Get some rest,” he ordered, dropping his pieces onto the table once again. “We begin again once you are rested.”

            Komugi closed her eyes and nodded. “It was a great game as always, Supreme Leader.” 

She grabbed her cane and tapped her way out of the room. Meruem lowered his head and stared at the board, recalling the few moves with photographic accuracy. He huffed through his nose and cleaned up the board, replaying the short match over again. 

Seven moves. That’s all it took. 

A useless girl with no other talents conquered him so easily as though he were the same novice from the beginning. He stared at the pawn-captain tower before him. A smirk bent his lips. He wondered for how long she would outshine him.


End file.
